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[Merged] Sprint / HTC Evo vs. iPhone 4

Just want you to know, about 10 hardcore android trolls roam this boards, so expect to get flamed from them here in the next couple hours.

To your OP. Although I don't totally agree with your post, I do feel like at this point the iphone is the better phone/os. I really am starting to like the Android OS, but the phones that they currently have I hate.
 
Eventually you're going to have to pick one or the other. Think quite a few readers here have gone through this dilemma already (me being one of them). Originally was going to jump ship from my 3G to an EVO or Droid X since they had the bigger screens, nicer cameras etc. After playing with both for awhile, as you noted, they just weren't as polished as the iPhone. Seemed like Droid just wanted out the door and polished up a turd OS with some shiny specs/features on their phones. After getting my IP4, don't see any need to revisit the Droid/iOS issue anymore. While it may not have all the flashy bits and pieces like the Droid hardware does, in terms of an all-in-one package, i.e. hardware, OS, usability, etc, can't beat the IP4.
 
hippo206 said:
Just want you to know, about 10 hardcore android trolls roam this boards, so expect to get flamed from them here in the next couple hours.

To your OP. Although I don't totally agree with your post, I do feel like at this point the iphone is the better phone/os. I really am starting to like the Android OS, but the phones that they currently have I hate.
Click to expand...

I agree with you... I am saddened that they pulled Nexus One out of the market and all available Android phones nowadays are shipped with crap skins. Bad first impression for first timer to Android platform :(

topmounter said:
Too bad none of his complaints relate to the hardware.
Click to expand...

Right but why get Evo when a much better phone coming out? Provided that there is no reception issue on iPhone 4, would you get iPhone 3GS just merely 3 weeks before iPhone 4 comes out? I hope not ;)
 
Well, from my own experience with the two iPhone 4s in my family and with friends who own them... I would say that Steve's numbers about the actual percentage of people complaining about the iPhone 4 is likely accurate (less than 1% out of over 3 million).

There are some things I have seen with Android that I find interesting, and potentially highly useful. But I think the biggest drawback to Android is the lack of control over the platform. While some think that gives Android an advantage, I believe it's the exact opposite. By maintaining a high level of control over iOS, Apple also maintains a uniformed and (generally) high quality experience for it's users.

Also, with Apple, it's always been about patience. Steve likes nothing more than to hit the stage upon the release a new version of.. whatever.. and proclaim that there are a 100 or more new features. So while your iPhone or iDevice might feel like it's missing something today.. whatever that awesome feature happens to be is just a keynote or two away from blowing Scott Forstall's mind (whilst simultaneously spawning a collective, "finally!" down here where the rest of us live).
 
I only tried Android once, and in less than 24 hours I was back to my iPhone again. My advice is to give it a few more days, if you truly love the Evo, and return it before the end of the 30 day trial period if you are still on the fence. No point in being locked into an agreement with a device that won't meet your needs over a 2 year period....... I love the iPhone 4 now, and don't see myself going back to Android any time soon.
 
jonhcox said:
Ok folks,

So yeah, I went out and got an EVO a few weeks ago thinking that I really, really wanted to give Android a shot. I have 15 days left of my "30 Day Trial Period". I DO like Android but I can say, without regret, that it isn't as polished as iPhone OS. That said, given the issues that Apple was having with the antenna, I thought I was making a good choice.

So here are my thoughts. The Android Marketplace has a long way to go. I still believe that the best Apps are still being developed for the iOS. That isn't to say that there are not any truly great Apps available for Android, just not the great variety. Especially games, which to be honest- I used my iPhone for a lot of gaming since my 8 month old arrived in lieu of my Xbox. The games available for the EVO are lacking.

The software, though very customizable, just isn't as polished as iOS. It's great but I find it less intuitive to make a call. It's not difficult, just takes more actions than I would like. I just haven't felt the "wow" that I thought I would. I don't know that I would get it from the iPhone 4 either but I guess I find myself in need of familiarity. Lot's of folks have said it takes a while to get accustomed to Android and the contrast that it represents. I can definitely agree with that. Call me simple, or not smart, or whatever- that's fine. I write code for Flash and a variety of applications and that doesn't mean I have to like Android. I liked my 3G because it was easy, reliable, well-made and fun. I like my EVO because it has a big lovely screen, customizability...
and that's about it. I just haven't found it fun yet. Maybe I will, maybe I should give it some more time?

I'm sure this kind of thread has been thrown around here many times before so this is probably another waste of space. I just need some thoughts and opinions.
Click to expand...


Android is not a "fun" phone OS, it's more like Symbian or WinMo in that
respect. It's more for people who like to fiddle and read message boards
and try things and undo things or who simply don't know any better.

I still have WTF moments with my N1 running Froyo where I just want to
throw the thing through a window and get my iPhone 3G out of the drawer
and return to an easier, simpler life... free of an app store littered with
"SEXY HOT ASIAN" and "SN00P D0G RINGTONz" apps.

That being said Android does have its "charms" and I am looking forward
to seeing how it progresses in Gingerbread.
 
jonhcox said:
Ok folks,

So yeah, I went out and got an EVO a few weeks ago thinking that I really, really wanted to give Android a shot. I have 15 days left of my "30 Day Trial Period". I DO like Android but I can say, without regret, that it isn't as polished as iPhone OS. That said, given the issues that Apple was having with the antenna, I thought I was making a good choice.

So here are my thoughts. The Android Marketplace has a long way to go. I still believe that the best Apps are still being developed for the iOS. That isn't to say that there are not any truly great Apps available for Android, just not the great variety. Especially games, which to be honest- I used my iPhone for a lot of gaming since my 8 month old arrived in lieu of my Xbox. The games available for the EVO are lacking.

The software, though very customizable, just isn't as polished as iOS. It's great but I find it less intuitive to make a call. It's not difficult, just takes more actions than I would like. I just haven't felt the "wow" that I thought I would. I don't know that I would get it from the iPhone 4 either but I guess I find myself in need of familiarity. Lot's of folks have said it takes a while to get accustomed to Android and the contrast that it represents. I can definitely agree with that. Call me simple, or not smart, or whatever- that's fine. I write code for Flash and a variety of applications and that doesn't mean I have to like Android. I liked my 3G because it was easy, reliable, well-made and fun. I like my EVO because it has a big lovely screen, customizability...
and that's about it. I just haven't found it fun yet. Maybe I will, maybe I should give it some more time?

I'm sure this kind of thread has been thrown around here many times before so this is probably another waste of space. I just need some thoughts and opinions.
Click to expand...

I've had iPhones since the first-gen, and was getting a little bored, so I thought I'd give Android a shot. So when the iPhone 4 and its problems showed up, I took a shot at the Evo. I actually ended up getting 2 separate ones, because after dumping the first one after 2 days, I ended up feeling that I hadn't given it enough of a chance, so I went out and got another one and kept it a little longer. Four days.

I felt pretty much the same way about the Evo that you do. I now have a nearly problem-free iPhone 4, and I'm happy enough with it, if still somewhat bored with the same old, same old. I think the quintessential smartphone-of-the-moment would be an iPhone with a 4.3" screen, widgets, haptic feedback, selectable tones for all types of alerts, and the Android notification area.
 
Welcome to parenthood. You think your free time is diminished now, wait to s/he starts walking. :)

I wouldn't say you made a mistake. At worst you went out and gave an Android a shot and perhaps have found it wasn't for you at this time. I believe EVO is rumored to get 2.2 this week and you might find that the little improvements are enough to keep you with EVO and Sprint. You've still got a couple of weeks before you have to commit.

You might also want to put your name on the list for an i4 in the meantime. If you find that EVO grows on you, and you don't want the i4, you can always cancel the order.

FWIW I was going to get an EVO but they OOS. Ended up getting the i4 and am extremely pleased with how things turned out. Not to knock the EVO, but the i4 is an excellent upgrade and wouldn't trade it for any phone currently on the market.
 
topmounter said:
Android is not a "fun" phone OS, it's more like Symbian or WinMo in that
respect. It's more for people who like to fiddle and read message boards
and try things and undo things or who simply don't know any better.

I still have WTF moments with my N1 running Froyo where I just want to
throw the thing through a window and get my iPhone 3G out of the drawer
and return to an easier, simpler life... free of an app store littered with
"SEXY HOT ASIAN" and "SN00P D0G RINGTONz" apps.

That being said Android does have its "charms" and I am looking forward
to seeing how it progresses in Gingerbread.
Click to expand...

I agree with this.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A306 Safari/6531.22.7)

If I were going to go Android, I'd wait 6 months for 2.2 to be offered natively (hardware meant for it), and for an iPhone 4 level display.

Sean
 
Sometimes the hype is just that. . . hype. And the same can be said by Android users that switch to an iPhone and don't like it.

What I don't like/understand is everytime an Android phone is released it's relevant for around 3 months and then that's all we really hear. It's not stable and too many people deal with 1 OS.

After the customization, animated wallpapers and "openness" what else does Android offers?
 
I jumped ship to the Evo, and came back after 3 weeks. The final straw was the screen was separating and I didn't want to play the trade-in game and be stuck with Sprint for 2 years. I LOVED the customization of the Evo, and neat things like live wallpapers. And the hardware specs are great, but it stopped there for me.

Now I'm back to the iPhone 4 and couldn't be happier. The camera is better. And the video camera on the Evo is a joke compared to the iP4. No comparison. And the battery? Tough for anyone to squeeze out a full day's use.

In short, I would definitely use an Evo if I couldn't use an iPhone. The iOS is more polished than Android but, Android is a viable option and very impressive. I'm looking forward to Apple and Google pushing each other to make and develop a better experience down the road.
 
iTravis said:
Sometimes the hype is just that. . . hype. And the same can be said by Android users that switch to an iPhone and don't like it.

What I don't like/understand is everytime an Android phone is released it's relevant for around 3 months and then that's all we really hear. It's not stable and too many people deal with 1 OS.

After the customization, animated wallpapers and "openness" what else does Android offers?
Click to expand...

I don't think that's the fault of Android. There are many phones licensed to use this OS so it's inevitable that the newness wears off more quickly than an iPhone. There's only one iPhone. There are a dozen or so Android devices. There really isn't a flagship device and if there is, it'll be replaced by another company a couple of months or so down the line.


Personally, I prefer the one OS/one device/one big update per year method. It's too much of a cluster**** to be like oh should I get the Droid? No, wait..the Evo... Wait... the Samsung Epic... hold on... the Incredible... wait! There's an unnamed HTC device that's supposed to be awesome coming out next month.. wait!
 
timerollson said:
I don't think that's the fault of Android. There are many phones licensed to use this OS so it's inevitable that the newness wears off more quickly than an iPhone. There's only one iPhone. There are a dozen or so Android devices. There really isn't a flagship device and if there is, it'll be replaced by another company a couple of months or so down the line.


Personally, I prefer the one OS/one device/one big update per year method. It's too much of a cluster**** to be like oh should I get the Droid? No, wait..the Evo... Wait... the Samsung Epic... hold on... the Incredible... wait! There's an unnamed HTC device that's supposed to be awesome coming out next month.. wait!
Click to expand...


I concur, I just think that messes up their name though. People (Regular consumers) wouldn't know the difference from a HTC Andriod or A Samsung Andriod device. So they'll just say "Android" Which, like you stated, isn't really their (Android) fault in the first place.


I wonder, How long will they promote an open platform before they start actually building walls? All successful companies have them so should Android. That's IF they ever want a serious share in the Market.
 
I did a similar thing except I went to Verizon and got the Droid X. It lasted 4 days! The phone itself was nice but like the OP and others have said, Android just isn't as polished as iOS. Many of the apps look like they were written by a 15 year old in his mom's basement. Sure, I can run a weather widget but it eats up half my battery and slows the phone down to a crawl. I also figured that the google phone would handle gmail better, but with google sync my iPhone was hands down better. Other issues too that I won't even list.
AT&T won me over with their customer service too. I got the X from newegg and had problems activating so I went into a Verizon corp. store and they told me they couldn't help me. WTF, Verizon phone, Verizon store, no help (that said, newegg's customer service was fantastic). Then I went into an AT&T store and the lady bent over backwards to get me back and make me happy. Even got my unlimited data back without a fight.
Maybe if I had never owned a smartphone I would have liked Android but once you've used the iPhone, its hard to go to anything else.
 
iTravis said:
I concur, I just think that messes up their name though. People (Regular consumers) wouldn't know the difference from a HTC Andriod or A Samsung Andriod device. So they'll just say "Android" Which, like you stated, isn't really their (Android) fault in the first place.


I wonder, How long will they promote an open platform before they start actually building walls? All successful companies have them so should Android. That's IF they ever want a serious share in the Market.
Click to expand...

I think that's a big selling device for Android users... that there aren't many walls/open platform. I don't know if they'll ever do that. They sell A LOT of phones as it is. I think they're going to keep it the same. They just have to roll out OS updates to every phone instead... from my understanding, some Android devices aren't getting FroYo and if they are, they're getting it later than other devices. Another aspect of Android I'm not too fond of. I'd rather a uniform roll-out of software updates than a tiered one... But, I'm not sure if that's google, the service provider or the manufacturer of the phone that handles the official updates, etc.
 
illutionz said:
Is this serious?

I'm just saying that he already purchased Evo but if he really wants to go Android he should probably wait for Epic that's coming in 18 days.

Unless he wants to switch to other carrier then the best Android phone on Sprint is the Epic... If he wants to return it then get an iPhone 4...

There is no need to do name calling on a forum thread
Click to expand...

I don't think you're understanding the OP's dilemma. This about software. What exactly will change from the Evo to the Epic software wise? Not much.
 
I develop on iOS, RIM, WinMo, WebOS and Android systems in my work and at home. I have no problem using any smartphone. I like them all. Some thoughts about Android:

Use http://www.appbrain.com/ to find and mark Android apps for download in combo with their easy-to-use sync app.

Android has all the major apps that I normally use: USAToday, NPR, NYTimes, Slingplayer, eBay, Pandora, Netflix, Kayak, subway maps, weather, flight tracking and dozens of other typical ones. And of course, lots of neat widgets.

I've gotten so used to Android voice input in every app, that I now find myself automatically looking for the microphone button on the iOS keyboard :)

Was pleasantly surprised to hear that the Incredible and others will be getting a Froyo update with Flash in a week or two. The speed was already good, and even the current limited Flash allowed reading restaurant menus that can't be seen on other phones... so a speedup and full Flash will be icing on the cake.
 
the iPhone 4 is the best all-around package on the market in my opinion. The way the software and hardware and so tightly-knit makes for a VERY satisfying user experience. I had the 3G, left iPhone for a bit, then got a 3GS last December. Ordered my iPhone 4 the day pre-orders started and am STILL in awe at how truly simple and nearly perfect the iOS experience is :D
 
h1r0ll3r said:
Eventually you're going to have to pick one or the other. Think quite a few readers here have gone through this dilemma already (me being one of them). Originally was going to jump ship from my 3G to an EVO or Droid X since they had the bigger screens, nicer cameras etc. After playing with both for awhile, as you noted, they just weren't as polished as the iPhone. Seemed like Droid just wanted out the door and polished up a turd OS with some shiny specs/features on their phones. After getting my IP4, don't see any need to revisit the Droid/iOS issue anymore. While it may not have all the flashy bits and pieces like the Droid hardware does, in terms of an all-in-one package, i.e. hardware, OS, usability, etc, can't beat the IP4.
Click to expand...

Amen. My Droid lasted 1 whole week before I gave it back to Verizon and waited for the iPhone 4. I'm glad I did too. I'm perfectly happy in the Apple ecosystem.
 
My wife's sprint contract was up in June and the ip4 and droid du jour models were coming out, so I looked at all of them for her and myself. Mostly I was looking at the droid X. Sprint wanting to charge me $10 a month for 4G service that I can't even get was complete nonsense.

There just wasn't a whole lot about the droids I cared for, especially for my wife as she isn't going spend any great deal of time tweaking her phone, she just wants it to work. So I upgraded both of us to the ip4.

I must admit I rather enjoyed calling Sprint when I was porting her number over and letting them know they were losing a long time customer because of their marketing strategy and I didn't appreciate the idea of helping to fund their expansion to 4G when I couldn't take advantage of it.
 
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